Holiday Wishes: Christmas of Love Collaboration Read online

  I'd really hoped her response would have been different towards me. It had been years since we’d seen one another, but all she did was glare. I did not understand what had happened between us that caused her to stop talking to me all those years ago. I wanted to know and had begged both Devon and Kenzie to tell me, but neither of them knew either. Once I knew she was coming I had thoughts of perhaps getting back together and then I had finally decided that I wanted closure. Although, now that I’d seen her, I changed my mind. I wanted Harper back.

  Once the speeches were finished, I leaned back against my chair and watched as Harper made her way to the adjoining room where all of us could party and hang out for the evening. I was excited she would be there tonight. Maybe we could talk and clear the air between us before tomorrow. Then I watched as Kenzie pulled her aside. I could see her glancing my way every now and again, and I wanted to know what was being said.

  "Jesus, man, are you not over her yet?" Devon said, punching me in the arm.

  "Man, I thought I could do this, but, honestly, no, I'm not over her. I thought we would have been together forever. I figured we would have been married by now with a couple of kids. Instead, one morning she just stopped answering my calls and texts and blocked me on all social media. It was almost as if all those years we had of being together meant nothing to her."

  "Don't say that, man. Harper isn't like that."

  "Really? You think not? I guess I find it so hard because I really don't understand why she did that."

  "I don't either, man, but I am sure she had her reasons."

  "Maybe I should try to talk to her over the weekend, you know, clear the air."

  "Ha, that's funny."

  "What is? That I want some closure or perhaps another chance?"

  "Please don't take this the wrong way, but don't plan to do that tonight or tomorrow. Seriously, you do anything at all to ruin this wedding for Kenzie..."

  "Hey, I will do nothing to ruin your wedding. It's your day too. You are my best friend."

  Devon chuckled. "Dude, if this were my day, we'd be taking our vows with a judge in a five-minute ceremony at city hall, and then all us men would hang out at the local bar, eat wings, and watch hockey. Fuck all this shit." He said gesturing to the table.

  I laughed. Devon was right, it was over the top. Yet, no matter how over the top it was, I just hoped he realized how lucky he really was.

  "I guess we should get in there."

  We both got up from our seats and stretched. I pushed my chair in and glanced over to where Kenzie and Harper had been standing. Harper now had her arm around Kenzie and both disappeared into the other room.

  If I thought I was going to talk to her tonight, I was mistaken. The girls were all huddled over in a corner, talking and laughing, like they would have done at a high school dance, while we men played pool and drank beer.

  While I waited for the guys to take their turns, I watched her dancing, smiling and laughing. I should have been the one to make her smile like that.

  When the song was over, she placed her empty glass on a table, whispered something to Kenzie, and walked out of the room. The girls made their way over to the bar to get more drinks, and I took this as my opportunity to speak to Harper alone.

  I excused myself, saying I needed to use the washroom, and took off in the same direction as Harper. Instead of using the washroom, I sat down in a chair outside of the bathroom and waited for her to exit.

  It hadn't even been three minutes when the woman's washroom door opened, and Harper came walking out. I stood and smiled, but instead of being greeted with a smile, she greeted with a scowl and avoided my eyes.

  "Harper, it’s good to see you again."

  "I have nothing to say to you, Declan," she bit out and went to step around me, but I blocked her.

  "Aren't you the least bit happy to see me?"

  She let out a huff and crossed her arms across her chest. "Look, I am here to see my best friends get married. I didn't come here to see you or reconnect with you. Truthfully, if I had known you were going to be here, I probably wouldn't be."

  "Whoa, Harper." Her words stung, as did the look of death she was giving me. I realized in those seconds that whatever I had done had hurt her permanently. I just wished I knew what it was.

  "Declan, do me a favor. Leave me be this weekend. I will be cordial to you tomorrow because I have no choice but to be, but otherwise, I have nothing to say to you. Now please excuse me."

  She didn't wait for a response. She pushed past me, pulled the door open, and re-entered the party area. I took a minute to compose myself and swallow her words before I made my way back to the boys.

  Chapter 3

  Harper

  After the run-in with Declan outside of the washroom, I had excused myself from the party. I needed to clear my head, so I returned to my room and ordered a pot of tea. I changed into my pajamas, opened the curtains and sat watching the snow lazily fall to the ground while I sipped on the hot tea. I thought back to the night that ended my relationship with Declan. It was ridiculous that after all these years I was still hung up on what I’d seen that night. I should have been over it and thought I was until I walked in and saw him.

  When I was finally tucked under the covers, I tossed and turned. The words I had spewed at Declan outside of the washroom were running through my mind. There was really no reason for me to be so mean, but apparently the wound was still raw, and I felt as if this wedding was just pouring salt into it.

  I’d barely slept and now I stood in Kenzie’s room, peering into the mirror at the dark circles that were still visible under my makeup.

  "Can you help me for a second?" Kenzie asked, coming into the bathroom holding her dress up. "I can't get it done up, and everyone else is getting their makeup or hair done.”

  My hair had already been finished, and I stood half-dressed looking at Kenzie's pleading eyes. "Turn around."

  She did as I asked, and I buttoned up the back of her dress.

  "Do you remember how we used to plan our weddings when we were in high school?" Kenzie questioned as I pulled the top of her dress tight.

  I thought back to the countless hours we used to spend doing that. We would flip through magazines and surf the web tirelessly for ideas, arguing over what one another had found. I'd had my entire wedding to Declan planned out, right down to the type of flowers and cake I would have at my ceremony. Kenzie had done the same. However, she had stolen the style of dress I had wanted, but it was okay because, truthfully, the sweetheart neckline, fit and flare style looked better on her than it would have on me anyway. I stood back, looking her over and adjusting the back of her dress.

  "I do. Seems like a waste of time now though." I chuckled. "Hours agonizing over roses or peonies in pink or red. Red velvet or chocolate cake. I don't even know what I was thinking with this style of dress though."

  "I'm sorry I stole your dress idea. It was always my favorite."

  "It's all good. There is no one knocking down my door to marry me anytime soon. I'd rather see it go to good use because you look gorgeous," I said, winking.

  "Just so you know, I went with vanilla cake." We both burst into laughter as I stood up and took another look at my best friend.

  The four of us had always been so intertwined in everything we had done. Honestly, even though Declan and I were no longer together, I was glad that the four of us got to share one of our special days together.

  "Are you going to be okay today?" Kenzie asked as I fastened the last clip on the back of her dress.

  "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

  "I know he approached you last night. I know you went to bed because you were angry."

  "I wasn't angry," I bit out a little too harshly, causing Kenzie to hold her hands up.

  I took a deep breath before speaking again. "Listen, I am fine. Yes, he approached me last night, but honestly, I am over anything Declan Brookes could ever offer me and have been for a long time." I paused. "And
just so you know, I went to bed because I was exhausted."

  Kenzie stopped me from fussing over her dress anymore and looked me in the eye. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

  I could feel the tears starting to build behind my eyes and held my hand up to stop Kenzie from saying any more.

  "This is ridiculous. My God, it’s been years, Kenzie. So, stop with all this Declan and Harper talk. This is your day, your weekend, and it’s almost time, so let’s get you married."

  Just as I finished saying those words, a knock on the door startled both of us.

  "Flowers are here!" Jordan yelled from the other side of the door.

  Two hours later, we'd just finished the pictures and we stood in the hallway outside of the chapel doors. We could hear the voices of the guests as they chatted amongst themselves.

  "Are you ready?" I whispered to Kenzie.

  She glanced up at me with nervous eyes. I placed my hand on her arm, waiting for her answer. Finally, she nodded, and I couldn't help but laugh as I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. "It will be okay, right?" she whispered in my ear.

  I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Girl, you have nothing to worry about. I honestly cannot think of someone who would be better for you, the two of you are made for one another. You look stunning, and I know Devon is going to fall at your feet when he sees you."

  "Thank you, Harper. Thank you for being here today."

  I leaned in and hugged her just as the music began to play inside the chapel, and the wedding coordinator worked quickly at getting us all in our places just in time for the doors to open. A hush fell over the crowd and the two flower girls began their walk down the aisle, followed by two of the bridesmaids. The wedding coordinator nodded at me when it was my turn.

  "Put a smile on your face when you walk down that aisle," Kenzie practically hissed behind me.

  I looked back at her and smiled and then turned getting myself ready to face the crowd. Holding tightly to my bouquet, I stepped into the doorway of the chapel and took my first steps down the aisle. At first, I was afraid to look up, but when I did, the first person my eyes landed on was Declan.

  He stood there in his tux, muscular hands clasped in front of him, looking handsome as ever. I swallowed hard again as his blue eyes washed over me. I could feel my body heating under his stare. No matter how angry at him I found myself, a sense of sadness came over me. This would be the closest that Declan ever came to seeing me walk down an aisle.

  Chapter 4

  Declan

  We stood inside the little room at the front of the chapel. The guys had been a rowdy bunch this morning, but I had been rather quiet. The only thing on my mind was the conversation with Harper last night. I had spent most of the early evening last night agonizing over what could have caused the breakup between Harper and me all those years ago, instead of having a good time with my friends. This morning wasn't much different.

  When I had seen her sneak out of the room last night, I had made the poor decision to approach her because, somehow, I figured opening up the lines of communication might make today a little easier for the both of us. I’d hoped that she would have shed some light on what had caused her to suddenly hate me, but I had been wrong. I had gotten the opposite reaction to what I had been hoping for.

  "You have the rings, right?" Devon asked, leaning up against the wall beside me.

  "For the hundredth time, yes," I said, putting my hand into my pocket to feel the velvet box.

  "Sorry, man, just nervous I guess."

  "It's fine."

  "You all right?"

  "I guess."

  "Where did you disappear to last night?"

  "I tried to talk to Harper."

  Devon looked at me, shaking his head. "Please don't do anything that will cause a scene tonight."

  "I won't. I just thought clearing the air with her would make today easier somehow." I shrugged. "But it ended up doing the opposite."

  "You're sure the rings are in the box, right," he said, reverting to his original question.

  "Yes, I am sure," I gritted.

  "All right, geez I'm sorry," he said, moving over to the rest of the guys.

  Devon shouldn't have been worried about the rings. He should have been more concerned that I was going to corner Kenzie tonight after a few beers and demand to know what I had done. She must have known something about why Harper wasn't speaking to me. It not only drove me nuts wondering what had happened between us, but it also bothered me to know that she was still harbouring so much anger that she wouldn't speak to me.

  I quickly averted my thoughts when the wedding coordinator appeared and signaled for us to take out spots at the front of the chapel. I followed Devon as he headed out the door and took my spot beside him.

  We'd barely been standing there looking out at all the guests when the music started and the doors to the chapel opened. We watched as the flower girls made their way down the aisle, dropping rose petals along the way. Then came the bridesmaids, smiling to the people in the audience.

  I averted my gaze to the floor, and when I glanced to the door again, Harper rounded the corner. My heart rate sped up the second I saw her. She looked gorgeous in the form-fitting blue dress, showing off all her curves. Her eyes were locked on the floor, but the second she lifted her head, her eyes locked with mine.

  At first, I imagined that she was walking down that aisle to join me at my side, and my heart filled with hope. Then the realization hit that this was the only way I would ever get to see her walk down an aisle. The next time she would walk down the aisle would be to her future husband, which should have been me. A streak of jealousy ran through me at the thought.

  As I watched her make her way down the aisle, her eyes never left mine. It was almost as if we were in sync for the first time in five years. She finally took her place, peeling her eyes away from mine to look down to the door where Kenzie appeared and started walking down the aisle with her father. A hush came over the crowd, and I looked back to Harper in time to see a tear slip down her cheek. I missed the entire thing, because no matter how hard I tried, I could not take my eyes off my girl.

  Twenty minutes later, we stood, the priest speaking to both Kenzie and Devon. I stood there completely in my own world, staring over at Harper, dreaming of what could have been. I jumped when I felt the guy behind me subtly jam his fist into my back. Forgetting where I was, I just about to turn to give him a piece of my mind when I noticed Devon standing there staring at me.

  "The rings," he mouthed, tight-jawed.

  Not knowing how I had missed the cue, I drove my hand into my pocket and pulled the box out, opening it and handing him the ring. I closed the box quietly and shoved it back into my pocket and glanced over to Harper. She rolled her eyes at me, softly smiled, and turned her attention back to our friends as they recited their vows and exchanged rings.

  In a matter of minutes, the guests broke into applause, and Devon and Kenzie shared their first kiss as a married couple and then turned to the guests while they announced Mr. And Mrs. Devon Thornton.

  I felt a sense of relief as both Kenzie and Devon took off down the aisle. I looked over to see Harper step into the aisle, pausing while waiting for me to join her. As I stepped into the aisle, I signaled for her to lace her arm through mine and she did so hesitantly. The second her arm connected with mine, I felt a wave of electricity flow through me.

  "You look beautiful," I whispered as we took our first uncomfortable steps down the aisle and out of the chapel.

  She said nothing in return, just smiled at the guests. This really was the closest I would ever come to marrying her.

  Chapter 5

  Harper

  "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Declan said, tipping his glass to the crowd of guests who sat at their tables.

  I rolled my eyes as he tried to get everyone's attention. Finally, the room quieted down, and he stood there looking out into the crowd.

  "Before I begin, I just
want to say, I asked Devon before I started writing if there was anything I should not say, and he said no. So, Kenzie, whatever I'm about to say, just remember this is really his fault.” Devon and Kenzie both laughed.

  “I'd like to start by pointing out how amazing Kenzie looks today –every bit the beautiful bride. As for Devon? Well, what can one do with the mess he is?”

  The entire crowd started laughing. I just sat there, a displeased look on my face, and took a sip of my wine.

  "You know, I was always taught that if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all, but in this case, it needs to be said. Devon, he tries hard, and this is Devon...trying...hard...And his personality...it’s great too. It really makes up for everything that’s going on up there in the face area."

  The guests once again broke out in laughter. I picked up my wineglass and emptied the remaining contents from it, signaling for a refill from a nearby server. This speech was Declan, through and through.

  "Okay, so let me introduce myself. My name is Declan, and I've known Devon since the second grade. I am his oldest, most handsome, most personable, most... okay, I'm his friend. I met Devon when we were both seven. It’s really easy to imagine seven-year-old Devon. He had the same haircut and the same brief smile—you know, the one that says he is always pleased with himself. When he smiles, it’s as if he's thinking back on his many accomplishments. From being president of the student body in middle school to getting into and graduating from Stanford at the top of his class. Today counts as one of his biggest accomplishments to date—committing to a woman like Kenzie. Today, you lead the way, to becoming a man and starting a family. Don't mess it up."